Intrahypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor elevates gastric bicarbonate and inhibits stress ulcers in rats

The effects of intrahyopthalamic microinfusions of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) on gastric bicarbonate, acid, and pepsin content and on cold restraint-induced gastric lesion formation were tested in three experiments. Bilateral microinfusions of CRF into the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (0.86 nmol/rat) significantly increased both gastric bicarbonate concentration and total bicarbonate output. These effects were observed irrespective of whether rats were pretreated with the acid antisecretory drug omeprazole. In nonomeprazole-pretreated rats, CRF microinfusions also significantly reduced acid secretion and raised pH. The increase in bicarbonate content accounted for half of the observed decrease in acid output, suggesting that CRF microinfusions activated separable bicarbonate-stimulating and acid-inhibiting hypothalamic systems. In non-omeprazole-pretreated rats, CRF microinfusions significantly increased serum gastrin, whereas pepsin output was unchanged. Gastric mucosal damage produced by 4 h of cold restraint was significantly diminished by CRF microinfusion into the ventromedial hypothalamus. These data demonstrate that ventromedial hypothalamic microinfusions of CRF increase bicarbonate content, decrease gastric acid content, and confer protection against cold restraint-induced gastric mucosal damage. Hypothalamic CRF neuronal terminals and receptors may be involved in the central regulation of gastric bicarbonate secretion as well as acid secretion.